Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – The ASEAN Tourism Forum 2019 (ATF 2019) is takingplace in Ha Long city, the northeastern province of Quang Ninh from January14-18.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien gave an exclusiveinterview to Vietnam News on the eve of the event.

The following is the full text of the interview.

Q: Can you tell us about the importance ofthe ASEAN Tourism Forum Vietnam 2019?

A: Vietnam first hosted the ATF in 2009. Nowit is back after 10 years, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ha Long in thenortheastern coastal province of Quang Ninh has been chosen to organise aseries of activities for the event.

This event plays significant political and socio-economic roles in the regionas well as the world, and the host country can benefit from the event byattracting more foreign tourists. Tourism activities have become more vibrant,and business partners and investors have more opportunities to visit andunderstand the host country.

The ATF Vietnam 2019 will open more opportunities for us to affirm and enhanceour role and position in regional tourism co-operation, and promote thecountry’s image, people and tourism among international friends.

The forum is a place for Vietnamese tourism businesses to approach, meet andtighten partnerships and co-operation with travel agencies, logistic companiesand famous hotel brands in the region and the world.

The ATF Vietnam 2019 is also an occasion for the Vietnamese people to betterunderstand about ASEAN and the results of co-operation with other ASEAN membersin the field of tourism.

Q: ASEAN is emerging as a popular destination thanks to its diverselandscapes, ranging from primeval jungles to long, sandy beaches. Can youspecify plans for common tourism development in the ASEAN bloc?

A: The ASEAN tourism development strategy for2016-2025 specifies that by 2025, the region will become a quality tourismdestination providing a unique and diverse ASEAN experience with a commitmentto developing responsible, sustainable, comprehensive and balanced tourism,contributing significantly to the prosperity of the ASEAN people.

To achieve this target, each ASEAN membershould have its own plans. The ASEAN community will join hands to implementmeasures and solutions to overcome challenges to enhance tourismcompetitiveness and development in the region in a sustainable manner.

General policies for ASEAN tourismdevelopment in 2019 and the following years is: (1) Ensuring safety andsecurity for tourists; (2) Reforming border procedures with more convenienceand reduced costs; (3) Reducing the overload on traffic and infrastructure intourist destinations; (4) Reducing the cost of regional tourism services; (5)Enhancing the participation of local communities in the tourism value chain;(6) Minimising the impact of climate change on heritage, cultural andhistorical relics; and (7) Developing green tourism and knowledge-basedtourism.

Q: The world seems to be separating andapplying protectionism to domestic products. How can ASEAN countries boostregional connections to welcome visitors and tourism businesses from all overthe world?

A: For each country and region like ASEAN,tourism development depends on many factors such as resources, services,infrastructure, socio-economic conditions, society, political stability,security and safety.

In particular, the opening of new air routes and reforms of border proceduresincluding visa exemptions have played an important role in improvingcompetitiveness and attracting tourists to the country.

On the market side, the ASEAN tourism industry has both internal and externalregional markets. Statistics show that in 2018, the number of internationaltourists visiting Southeast Asia reached about 130 million. Domestic touristsaccounted for about 40 percent of the total while those from Northeast Asiamade up about 37 percent. The rest were from further markets such as Oceania,Europe and America.

Unlike other commodity-based economic sectors, protectionism and closed-doorpolicies are not appropriate for such an open economic and service industry astourism. The expanded cooperation between ASEAN countries with both near andfar markets plays a very important role in stabilising and increasing thespeed of tourism growth.

Q: Following a tourism landmark of 15 millioninternational visitors to Vietnam in 2018, what are the goals for 2019 and howdoes the sector plan to achieve them?

A: Followingthe 2016 and 2017 growth momentum, in 2018 we welcomed 15.5 millionforeign tourists, an increase of nearly 20 percent over the previous year.

This year, Vietnam is aiming to welcome 18 million foreign visitors and serveabout 85 million domestic tourists with total revenue expected to reach over 700trillion VND (over 30 billion USD). To achieve these goals, the sector needs totake the following solutions:

1. Continue to complete legal regulations, relevant policies and institutions;mobilise contribution of the whole society; co-ordinate between public andprivate partnerships to upgrade infrastructure; diversify products; reduceseasonality and overcrowding; reduce competitive pressure and marketdependence.

2. Restructure the tourism industry to links businesses to the product valuechain with appropriate management and organisation, ensuring close andeffective inter-sector co-ordination but not hindering the development of theinternational integration process.

3. Boost electronic marketing activities to promote tourism with a focus onenhancing growth in markets such as Northeast Asia (China, the Republic of Korea,Japan, Chinese Taipei); and neighbouring and regional markets in Southeast Asiasuch as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, which still have more growthpotential.

4. Continue to implement an open-visa policy to create preferable conditionsfor tourists from more markets; strengthen the aviation connections; takeadvantage of favourable conditions to improve the competitive capacity, imageand tourism brand of Vietnam in the global tourism value chain.

5. Continue to control and maintain service quality and rectify service issues,especially in the management of tourism destinations to ensure security andsafety.

6. Promote and innovate tourism training, andimprove the quality of human resources, state management, businesses andvocational labour to meet the requirements of competition, integration anddevelopment.

Q: In 2018, Vietnam was recognised bythe World Travel Awards as Asia’s top tourist destination and Asia’s top golfdestination by the Golf World Travel Awards. Can you comment about thesehighlights?

A: These titles are a result of years ofworking to make the whole sector a success. They confirm the country’s standingon the world travel map, marking the maturity of Vietnam’s tourism industryduring integration and development. At the same time, these titles are also agoal and motivation for the sector to strive to contribute to nationalsocio-economic development and gradually become a key economic sector followingthe direction of the Party, State and society’s expectations.-VNS/VNA